MRC Student of the Month - September 2001

"Migrant Education Has Changed Our Lives!"

When we first came to the United States three years ago, we were so scared that we thought we could not handle anything. Facing a new culture and lifestyle was really hard, as we were so far away from our family. While our father began working at Tyson Foods to support the family, we were working hard in school to prepare ourselves for college; but we would have not been able to succeed without the support of the Migrant Education Program.

The Migrant Education Program helped and guided us in doing all the necessary things to get into college. But after all this time, not only has Migrant Education continued offering the resources to help us, but has also let us repay their help by allowing us to assist a new generation of students who want to improve and achieve highly. This past summer, Migrant Education gave us the opportunity to work for them in the Lancaster District.

Katherine had the opportunity to help and be around people and students who are going through the struggles she once went through. This summer, Katherine worked as a teacher assistant for the K-4 group, at the summer school program in Lancaster. She was in charge of 20 students from different backgrounds, who taught her that working to overcome cultural barriers could be accomplished at any age. In addition, Katherine worked with the Leadership Committee, at Millersville University, where she assisted a group of students who were high school seniors with the potential to go to college, but with less optimism about the opportunity of going to college. The program lasted a week, with a complete agenda of activities designed to increase the confidence of these students about their potential. It was a wonderful experience for her because she also reflected on her own experiences and was able to see students change their attitudes.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, worked with diverse groups as a teacher assistant at the Migrant Education Summer School in Lancaster. She helped them with English skills and activities that would help students improve their academic skills, during the regular academic year. Elizabeth worked simultaneously with the Gear Up Program, part of the Partnership Program at Millersville University. This program was designed to introduce junior high school students to a computerized course designed to teach them to search and learn about the resources available for applying to college. It was really exciting to see the way students learned to help each other in the college application process using strategies and to have them use role models as inspiration.

Working with Migrant Education was a great experience that contributed to our personal development, including our leadership, intellect, and emotional growth. The experience of giving, instead of receiving, has been great; but giving back to our Hispanic/Latino community was even better. We are both part of and a product of Migrant Education—examples of motivation and improvement. We thank Migrant Education for giving us the chance to become leaders of the community.

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